Siegwerk’s decision to manufacture mineral oil-free inks follows its initiative to remove the usage of Toluene from its manufacturing process
Siegwerk plant in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, India. (Credit: Siegwerk Druckfarben AG & Co. KGaA.)
Siegwerk, a German provider of printing inks for packaging and labels, has decided to launch mineral oil-free inks in India for packaging applications.
The company stated that the inks supplied by its plant at Bhiwadi, in the Indian state of Rajasthan, will not contain intentionally added mineral oils.
According to Siegwerk, mineral oils are not chemically well-defined substances, but are highly complex group of hydrocarbons, primarily derived from crude oil. They are comprised of two components – Mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and Mineral oil aromatic hydrocarbons (MOAH).
The German firm stated that its decision to manufacture mineral oil-free inks follows the company’s initiative to remove the usage of Toluene from its manufacturing process.
According to the company, packaging inks are a mix of several ingredients and some of the chemicals are capable of migrating through the packaging material into the food items.
The food contaminated with MOSH and MOAH during the production process or through the packaging material, may harm human health.
Siegwerk India and Greater China president Ashish Pradhan said: “We understand the importance of safe packaging and are committed to providing safe inks for all kind of applications and hence our decision on a Mineral oil-free operation in India.
“Our commitment will not only further improve the end-consumer’s safety, but also environmental safety, as we will not contribute anymore to the presence of mineral oils in the recycled stream.”